UpdateF1 >> Formula 1 News > McLarens head first practice

Hamilton heads Heikki

The old story about waiting ages for a bus and then three come along at once could neatly apply to wet weekends at Grands Prix these days, as opening practice at Hockenheim dawned wet and breezy with black clouds overhead.

Indeed, the session began with times a good twenty seconds off the expected pace, but once a dry line began to appear the speed increased.

A last minute charge by both McLaren drivers saw Lewis Hamilton pip Heikki Kovalainen for top spot, both eclipsing Felipe Massa, who had been fastest up to that point in the Ferrari.

The first three were with a quarter of a second, but a few tenths further back Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen, Renault and Ferrari respectively, ended the 90 minutes as the only other runners within a second of the front running pace.

Nico Rosberg put the Williams in sixth place, just shy of Raikkonen, to head a train of three German drivers on home ground as Sebastian Vettel and Nick Heidfeld came in behind him in the STR and BMW-Sauber, while Kazuki Nakajima in the second Williams and Nelson Piquet for Renault filled out the top ten.

Tenth placed Piquet figured one and a half seconds off the pace, but down in 17th position Jarno Trulli, for Toyota, was only half a second behind the Brazilian, such is the fight in the mid-field these days.

Non-finishers were Sebastien Bourdais in the second STR who parked with a mechanical failure, and Robert Kubica in the BMW who put it in the tyre wall.

Written: Fri, 18 Jul 2008 09:58:13